Chile hit by 7.7-magnitude earthquake
Source: Reuters
Chile hit by 7.7-magnitude earthquake
Reuters in Santiago
Sunday 25 December 2016 14.53 GMT
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 has struck south-west of the city of Puerto Montt in southern Chile, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The agency said the quake struck at 11.22am local time near the southern tip of Chiloé Island, about 25 miles (40km) south-west of the city of Puerto Quellón and at a depth of 20 miles. The area, about 140 miles from Puerto Montt, is relatively sparsely populated.
Chiles naval oceanographic service declared a preventative tsunami alert for areas within 620 miles of the epicentre, and officials began evacuating coastal areas in the southern part of the country. The tsunami warning was later removed by officials.
Chiles National Emergency Office (Onemi) said a tsunami watch remained in place, and reiterated its call for Los Lagos residents to abandon beaches and go to higher ground. Ricardo Toro, the head of Onemi, said there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
[font size=1]
-snip-[/font]
Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/25/chile-hit-77-magnitude-earthquake-puerto-montt